How to think?

And what to do with our thoughts that come on their own?

I recently purchased a book titled It’s Just a Thought by Thomas M. Sterner. I’ve been a big fan of his ever since I read one of his earlier works, The Practicing Mind. That book is something I recommend to everyone, especially for its core ideas — the four “S” words: simplify, small, short, and slow. I found these principles incredibly helpful for organising my day.

Here’s what they mean:

Simplify — Break down your tasks to make them more manageable.
Small — Aim for small wins that build momentum for us to reach the larger goals.
Short — Focus on short segments of work (“micro work”) to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Slow — Do the task slowly and mindfully — being slow is good for productivity.

Right now, I’m earnestly reading his book on ‘thought.’ I’ve just completed the first chapter, and already, it feels like the book sits at the intersection of psychology and spirituality. Perhaps I’ll write a review or a deeper reflection on it in the future. But for this edition of the newsletter, I’d like to share my own thoughts on thoughts — and on thinking. I believe that understanding the simple distinction between the two is essential for living a good life.

Thought is a product of the unknown and uncontrollable. Any thought can arise at any time — and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. This is the realm of spirituality. The karma theory fits well here. Two people may face the same situation, yet their thoughts can be entirely different. Some philosophies explain this by pointing to our pasts — specifically, past deeds. But such explanations can never be proven.

However, we misuse spirituality when we attempt to purify the mind so it produces only ‘good’ thoughts. Many seekers set themselves on this misguided path. They pray. They meditate. They perform rituals — all in the hope of cleansing the mind and filling it with only positive thoughts.

But true awakening comes when one realizes that thoughts cannot be controlled. Enlightenment dawns when we stop fighting them. For the enlightened, any thought is acceptable. There is no good thought or bad thought. They understand that there is no need to resist the unknown or wrestle with the uncontrollable. And the best part? Thoughts naturally dissolve when we neither resist them nor cling to them.

In contrast, thinking is a voluntary action. We make use of a thought for our thinking. Because we are the ones doing the thinking, it becomes just another external action — like eating, speaking, or programming. The only difference is that the action of thinking takes place in the psychological realm. It is guided by our intellect. We can evaluate a thought and assess how it may benefit us or others. Based on this evaluation, we may choose to continue or alter our line of thinking.

Psychology plays a valuable role in this process. It helps us recognise the biases that influence our thinking (like how science helps us identify irrationalities in the thinking). A quick prompt on ChatGPT, for instance, reveals the following cognitive biases:

1. Confirmation Bias

Tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms our existing beliefs. Example: Reading only news that supports your political views.

2. Anchoring Bias

Relying too heavily on the first piece of information (the “anchor”) when making decisions. Example: If a shirt is marked down from Rs. 2000 to Rs.1000, you think it’s a great deal—even if Rs. 1000 is still expensive.

3. Availability Heuristic

Overestimating the likelihood of events that come easily to mind. Example: After watching news about plane crashes, you may think air travel is riskier than it really is.

4. Dunning-Kruger Effect

People with low ability at a task overestimate their ability, while experts may underestimate theirs. Example: A novice driver thinking they're better than average.

5. Self-Serving Bias

Attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external ones. Example: “I passed the test because I’m smart; I failed the next one because the teacher is unfair.”

6. Hindsight Bias (I-knew-it-all-along effect)

Believing, after an event has occurred, that it was predictable. Example: "It was obvious she was going to win the election."

7. Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasizing personality traits and underestimating situational factors when explaining others’ behaviour. Example: If someone cuts you off in traffic, you assume they’re rude, not that they might have an emergency.

8. Status Quo Bias

Preferring things to stay the same rather than change. Example: Sticking with a bad service provider because changing feels uncomfortable.

9. Optimism Bias

Believing that you are less likely to experience negative events than others. Example: “I won’t get COVID—others might, but I’m careful.”

10. Negativity Bias

Giving more weight to negative experiences than positive ones. Example: Remembering a single criticism more than dozens of compliments.

11. Bandwagon Effect

Adopting beliefs because many others hold them. Example: Buying a product because it’s trending, not because you evaluated it independently.

12. Framing Effect

Reacting differently depending on how information is presented. Example: Saying a surgery has a “90% success rate” sounds better than “10% failure rate,” though both are the same.

13. Sunk Cost Fallacy

Continuing a behavior due to previously invested resources (time, money, etc.). Example: Staying in a bad movie because you already paid for the ticket.

14. Groupthink

Suppressing dissenting opinions in a group to maintain harmony. Example: A team making a poor decision because no one wants to disagree with the leader.

15. Halo Effect

Letting a positive impression in one area influence your overall judgment. Example: Thinking someone is smart because they are attractive.

When we are aware of the classical biases we all carry, we are better equipped to avoid poor decisions — whether in relationships, purchases, business, and so on. However, we risk misusing psychology when we attempt to control or design the mind to produce bias-free thoughts. This misguided effort to control or purify the mind is best left to spiritual seekers.

Just this clear understanding of the distinction between thought and thinking can stop the endless internal struggle to purify thoughts of unknown origin, and mark the beginning of a new direction in our pursuit of psychological studies — or in ethics, science, and the arts.

Cheers!
Sankar G
Rajapalayam

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